Physician assistants and pharmacists are key members of the health care industry. Both careers are seeing significant growth in need for workers, according to the Bureau of Labor Statistics. The number of physician assistant jobs is projected to grow 30 percent between 2010 and 2020, while the number of pharmacist posts is expected to increase 25 percent during the same time. Physician assistants help fill the diagnostic role of medicine, while pharmacists focus on the treatment end.

Workplace

A central difference between physician assistants and pharmacists is the workplace where they operate. Physician assistants largely work in doctor's offices, hospitals and other care facilities. Pharmacists typically work in more of a retail setting, often in pharmacies, drug stores and general merchandise stores that provide prescription drugs among many other products. Pharmacists, however, also operate in hospitals and occasionally in other care facilities. Both physician assistants and pharmacists engage directly with patients in their jobs, using their expertise to provide guidance. Both also confer with physicians, though pharmacists mostly connect with them over the phone or electronically rather than in person.

Physician Assistant Responsibilities

Physician assistants perform many of the same tasks that physicians do, including examining patients, diagnosing their maladies, prescribing medicine and providing treatment. However, physician assistants do not handle these roles independently of physicians. Instead, they work with physicians as part of a health care team, serving under the supervision of a physician. Physician assistants are like physicians in that they work in different health care areas, including specialty areas such as surgery. They also occasionally serve as a primary care provider when a physician is not readily available, though always with a physician ultimately in charge, even if it is remotely. Physician assistants' responsibilities often depend on what particular physicians delegate for them to handle.

Pharmacist Responsibilities

Pharmacists provide prescription medications directly to patients. They receive and process physician prescriptions, including both the type of medication and the amount of it the patient should take, and oversee the distribution of that medication to the patient. Pharmacists use their knowledge of medications to instruct patients on the proper methods for taking medications, and they also perform checks to ensure that physician prescriptions do not create any dangers for patients. They typically do not advise patients on a path of treatment that involves prescription medications, but they do offer guidance on options for treating conditions with over-the-counter medications. Clinical pharmacists, who do not work in a retail setting, work more directly with physicians to decide the proper medication treatments for patients.

Education and Training

Becoming a physician assistant requires completing an accredited educational program for physician assistants. Physician assistant programs typically take two years and most result in a master's degree, though some result in a bachelor's or associate degree instead, according to the Bureau of Labor Statistics. Physician assistants also must have a license in the state where they practice, and they must pass a national certification exam. Pharmacists must first earn a doctor of pharmacy, a higher education path of study that takes three or four years after the student has already completed some undergraduate study; some programs require students to have a bachelor's degree already. In order to practice, they must pass both a national exam and a state exam where they hope to work. As with physician assistant licenses, states manage pharmacy licenses.

About the Author

Tom Gresham is a freelance writer and public relations specialist who has been writing professionally since 1999. His articles have appeared in "The Washington Post," "Virginia Magazine," "Vermont Magazine," "Adirondack Life" and the "Southern Arts Journal," among other publications. He graduated from the University of Virginia.